Things to do in Jurong

Choosing the right route is crucial when hiking in Maoshan with elderly people and children. Seeing the "Eighth Grotto-Heaven" stele marks the start of the core scenic area. The steps here aren't particularly steep, so a leisurely walk is perfectly fine. The roadside signs are clear, and Yuanfu Wanning Palace is only a few hundred meters away. You can experience Taoist culture without climbing too high. The mountaintop offers expansive views and fresh air, making it a pleasant place for the whole family to stroll and relax. It's truly a perfect leisure destination for a family trip! 👍✨

The buffet was decent, with reasonable value for money. It's a long-established hot spring resort with numerous pools, surrounded by lush greenery, making it very comfortable. The only truly worthwhile hot spring is the fishpond, which is free of charge.

We went on October 5th. The weather was great, and the environment on the mountain was lovely. However, many attractions required an additional fee, such as the thrill ride, family go-karting, and paintball. If you plan to do these, you might want to check if you can buy a combined ticket. Rafting cost 150 yuan per person, and even with raincoats, you'd get completely soaked, especially your shoes. Luckily, the staff warned us, so we didn't go rafting. The sightseeing train was 39 yuan per person, which wasn't cheap, but you had to wait at each stop, and there was no one to guide the queue; you had to grab your own spot, which was quite frustrating. The restaurants near the entrance were also mediocre. I thought Chinese food wouldn't be too bad, but I was proven wrong.

Half-day tour route: North Gate entrance - Qinhuai source - Intangible Cultural Heritage Market Culture Street - Qianlong Ancient Theater - Zuixiang - Baozhi Temple - Exit the scenic area. This route is suitable for tourists with tight schedules and can quickly check in the main attractions. One-day tour route: Visit Qianhua Ancient Village in the morning, check in the above main attractions, and experience folk activities; taste special food in the ancient village at noon; go to Baohua Mountain in the afternoon, climb the mountain to enjoy the natural scenery, visit Longchang Temple, and feel the Zen of the thousand-year-old temple.

I took my wife to Tangshan No. 1 Hot Spring over the weekend. Since it was past the peak season, there weren't as many people as I expected. We soaked in almost all the pools, and my wife even went for a swim in the pool at the end. The best thing about this hot spring is that it uses natural hot spring water, without the smell of bleach or disinfectant. Our skin wasn't dry after soaking, so the overall experience was good. Unfortunately, the staff told me that it might close down next year.

Baohua Mountain, located in Jurong, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, adjacent to Nanjing, is a national forest park and a national AAAA-level scenic area, boasting deep forests and lush vegetation. Longchang Temple, nestled within the mountain, was first built in the first year of the Tianjian era of the Southern Dynasties (502 AD). Formerly known as Qianhua Temple, it is the ancestral temple of the Vinaya School of Han Chinese Buddhism, enjoying the reputation of "the foremost mountain of the Vinaya School." It is a national key cultural relics protection unit, and the Longchang Temple complex is a key cultural relics protection unit of Jiangsu Province. The main gate of Longchang Temple on Baohua Mountain faces north, unlike the typical north-facing layout of temples. It features a gray-blue courtyard wall, a gate with horse-head gables, and stone lions guarding the entrance. The side walls are inscribed with eight large characters: "Vinaya Long-lasting" and "Zhengde Yongchang," conveying a solemn and ancient atmosphere. A bronze Guanyin statue stands serenely in the square, with a screen wall behind it inscribed "The Foremost Mountain of the Vinaya School." Beside it, a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree flourishes with lush foliage, and layers of bamboo forest surround the area. The Hui-style architectural complex is scattered along the mountainside, creating a sense of profound tranquility, as if a famous mountain hides an ancient temple.

One of the most worthwhile attractions in Nanjing Garden Expo Park is the "Thirteen Gardens of Suzhou Charm," showcasing the unique garden styles of thirteen cities in Jiangsu Province. Of course, this is geared towards experts; ordinary visitors will find it difficult to appreciate the differences. The park is home to many cats, all residing in the thirteen gardens. The Nanjing and Changzhou gardens have particularly numerous and adorable cats, prompting the park to develop a cat-themed area. The park also features interactive NPCs representing famous figures from Jiangsu Province to enhance the visitor experience. However, when we visited, there were few tourists, and the NPCs seemed rather tired, resulting in the cancellation of many small performances and interactive activities. While the gardens are enjoyable to stroll around casually, they can become somewhat uninteresting if you come specifically for them.

I give a five-star review to Ms. Dong Ling, the guide at the Nanjing Museum. Ms. Dong was very well-prepared, using hundreds of color pictures and props, and her explanations were both informative and engaging. She explained all the museum's prized artifacts and 195 cultural relics on display in Halls 1 through 6, as well as the special exhibition halls. I learned a great deal about the knowledge and stories behind these artifacts.

Tangshan Fangshan National Geopark in Nanjing is the largest and most important ecological forest reserve in Jiangning District, Nanjing, named for its unique ecological environment and long history. While many people associate Tangshan with hot springs, it offers much more. Tangshan Fangshan National Geopark is the oldest place in Jiangning and even the entire city of Nanjing. The ancient Nanjing Man, dating back 300,000 years, originated here, and there is a site where the Nanjing Man excavation was conducted that can be visited. Currently, Tangshan Fangshan National Geopark offers several well-developed resorts and tourism and cultural projects for visitors to experience.